Do you agree that swinging with about 80-90% of your max power will actually make you to hit the ball harder as a result of better bat control and hitting the ball squarely?

quote:

Originally posted by danocaster:
Do you agree that swinging with about 80-90% of your max power will actually make you to hit the ball harder as a result of better bat control and hitting the ball squarely?

IMHO what makes a swing look effortless even with max power is the use of proper mechanics. Bat control again IMO is the result of mechanics not a decrease or increase of power used to make that swing.

Agree with OCB ....maximum bat speed,minimum effort.

quote:

Originally posted by Ozone:
Agree with OCB ....maximum bat speed,minimum effort.

I'm not sure that's what OCB is saying. The swing only looks and feels effortless. The proper mechanics with maximum effort is the goal. A syncronized swing using hips and hands in the proper sequence and mechanics and BALANCE will look effortless even when the hitter is giving everything he has if solid contact is made. You might see someone swing and miss on occasion and they will look like they were swinging harder than normal, but that is usually caused by a loss of balance at full extension.

This is what I'm referring to:
Less is More

Pure Hitter= Power Hitter

(edited to fix link)

quote:

Originally posted by Ozone:
Agree with OCB ....maximum bat speed,minimum effort.

Minimum Effort? Are you really serious?

INTENT / WANTING to hit the ball hard is just as important as INTENT to throw the ball hard.

Sure, the proper mechanics play a HUGE role in hitting it more efficiently...and sometimes when learning better mechanics you want players to 'lay off' off a bit in reps to get the feel down....

But I just don't like that wording 'minimum' effort.

Of course every player is different. There are some you need to motivate to swing harder....and there are those (normally strong,athletic players with very sound mechanics already) who you want to realize that hitting it the more EFFICIENT way can result in more power than just swinging your hardest.

To me the perfect swing is the one that creates the most bat speed that is under total control. Over swinging or over throwing produces negative results. Under swinging or under throwing produces less than the best possible results.

That said... One notch past perfection doesn't work, (out of control)! One notch below perfection will often work. I think that is what is being talked about here.

I agree with PG. My son is more of a pitcher than a hitter, but I think the same thing applies. You should pitch with as much effort as you can while under control. If you try to throw as hard as you can every pitch, a couple of things will happen. One is, you will not be able to throw many pitches in a game. The other thing that happens is that your mechanics will suffer as a result. Velocity will actually decrease when that happens.

I think with hitting it is the same. You should swing with as much effort as you can while staying under control where your mechanics do not suffer. I think when you try to swing too hard, a batter will tend to open up too quick, pulling the front shoulder and the head will fly open, taking your eye off the ball.

So, swing as hard as you can while staying in control - maintaining your mechanics.

I think you hit the nail on the head with the phrase ' "while under control". My son seems to hit the ball more squarely, as thus, harder most of the time, if he swings a little less than his max.

The same seems to be true for myself when playing slow pitch softball, but it's hard to hold back.

My son's hitting coach used a radar to show my son when he was 8 what proper muscle tension can do to bat speed.


He told my son to swing for the fence and my son rared back and swung a whopping 32 mph.He then told him to concentrate on letting his body go and trusting the mechanics while not "trying" to hit a homerun.My son immediately saw a substantial increase and after a few swing was up to 69 mph.This was with a plastic practice stick.But the impact of that day has stuck withy my son.


He was asked by a nurse the other day(he was getting his tonsels removed)if he liked baseball.He said yes of course and then she asked do you try to hit homeruns and he said no.She said well,keep trying but before she could finish what she was saying,he broke in and said they JUST HAPPEN. I loved hearing that out of a 10 year old.

ctandc ....when i say minimum effort I'm referring to what looks like minimum effort not the actual application. Usually when a swing looks effortless it is producing maximum results. And your right, catch phrases don't always capture what we mean.

There are times we ask a certain type of player to use 85 - 90% effort. Kids who are trying to "muscle up" are probably inhibiting their swing/arm speed due to being tense. I really doubt actually slowing down bat or armspeed will be helpful in the long run as one of the links suggested.

I tell my kids. "Swing fast (or quick) and you get hard. Try to swing hard and you get neither." You don't want tension that slows the swing. There is tension in the swing that is positive, there is also tension that is not.

There is a difference between a professional golfer who drives the ball in a PGA tournament and a golfer who is a professional long-drive hitter. One is not functionally suitable for the other. A hitter who is swinging max speed may not be functionally suited for a moving ball (baseball).

However, the hitter should be taught to speed things up -- not hit harder. Furthermore, the balance is to speed the delivery or hitting up without sacrificing control. It is another baseball paradox.

A scout recently told me that kids are too mechanical. Many have their body parts in the right place and have had the expensive lessons, but they cannot play the game.

Mechanics are just one part of hitting. I teach mechanics but also rhythm and timing. I also teach to speed it all up. A boxer can throw a mechanically perfect jab and overhand right, but he would need to speed them up to be successful in boxing. Same in baseball. The hitter and pitcher need to speed up to be successful.

A good rule of thumb is the bat speed needs to match the ball speeds. If a 12 year old kid faces 60 MPH pitching he should be able to swing about 60 MPH. I measure this from a tee from a dead stop. This feedback is very useful to develop and efficient swing.

SWING FAST always, but its all about bat control. I tell my players to hit the ball true. If you center the ball on the bat it will go much farther than of the end or handle. Just like a pitcher throws as fast as he can and still have control, a hitter must swing as fast as he can with control.I feel when be hind in the count you need to slow down a bit and really center the ball on the bat.